What is a grant?

Only the Sponsored Projects Office (non-profit and federal/state awards) and Industry Alliances Office (corporate sponsored research) may accept and sign grant agreements on behalf of the University of California, Berkeley.

  • Both gifts and grants may be given for specific research or operating support. However, grants often mandate a very detailed scope of work and time frame, and have expected outcomes.

  • Grants often also include a line-item budget that the campus must adhere to when spending funding, as well as detailed financial reporting back to the funder.

  • A funder may require that monies not expended during the timeline of the project, be returned to them.

  • Finally, a grant may specify that the funder will receive specific material, training, a report, or product in return that might be intellectual property, patent rights, copyright, or technical reports.

  • Grants are given by federal and state entities, as well as non-profit institutions. Grants are not given by corporations. Grants are negotiated by the Sponsored Projects Office.